Archive for October, 2005

Strange goings on at the MTASC camp. According to the author Nicolas Canasse, on the OSFlash mailing list, the next version of the open source compiler won’t use actionscript (huh?!) but will instead compile from its own proprietry language, and will also compile for NekoVM (i have no idea) and generate javascript too.

I realize that this is a free compiler, but it seems such a shame to not have an open source alternative to flash’s MMC. I’m not sure if this is a reaction to the flex 2 compiler, but if you’re working for a client who wants you to supply the source code for the project, in a format other developers can undeerstand, then it pretty much makes this useless. Add on the fact that you have to learn another language to do what you already can with as3, and this is one of the most bizzare developments ever seen in OSFlash.

In the words of one poster on the list “I am not meaning to be personally critical of anybody or there intentions but really, I think we need another language like we need a hole in the head.”

Macromedia’s added to its bewildering array of sub portals with macromedia labs.

Macromedia Labs is your source for early looks at emerging products and technologies from Macromedia.

In Labs, you’ll find early access to downloads, samples, documentation, release notes, tutorials and more. Labs also includes forums and a wiki, where you can ask questions, discuss, and share your feedback with Macromedia.

Pretty intersting stuff. For starters they have alphas of flex builder 2 (zorn) and player 8.5. I get the feeling that they’re not going to release every emerging tech on this site, only the ones they want to build up pre-interest for, and with the fall of flex from a $15000 setup, only affordable by enterpise class clients, to a reported developer freindly sub $1000, i’m sure they’ll be interested to build up hype in the dev community.

Ok not quite, but mike downey announces actionscript 3, flash player 8.5, and support for these in the next version of flash IDE. They are however planning to release early alphas of these to the dev community, so we can get started learning all the new stuff. Guy watson is goinng to give a talk about these in some part of the world that i’m not, so its back to trawling the web for more details for now. exiting times